Traditionally, engine propelled vehicles utilize air filters in their air intake systems. Such conventional filters may, under adverse conditions, become plugged and clogged very easily and quickly, thereby preventing the flow of clean air and resulting in inefficient operation of the engine. Furthermore, such conventional filters allow finer particulate matter to pass through and enter the air intake system of an engine potentially causing serious damage to the engine. As such, these conventional filters have to be cleaned very often resulting in considerable down time for these engine propelled vehicles and do not fully protect the engine from fine particulate matter.
An example of this problem occurs with use of military vehicles in a desert environment wherein the conventional filters found in tanks and helicopters become clogged and plugged with sand quickly and easily. These conventional filters must be removed and cleaned often which is time consuming and expensive.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an air intake protection device which efficiently and effectively removes particulate matter from the air and allows engines to operate at peak efficiency longer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a filtration device which is a natural particulate separator. In particular, polluted air is forced through air intake deflector pipes, exiting into a pollution chamber. The air entering the pollution chamber is caused to swirl in a cyclonic motion whereby heavier pollutant particles within the polluted air are forced away from a non-planar filter toward the inside wall of the pollution chamber. These heavier pollutant particles then fall into a debris collection chamber. Lighter pollutant particles are caused to engage the non-planar filter. The cleaner, filtered air then exits this filter and flows through a final filter into a clean air compartment. The cleaner, filtered air is then forced through the clean air compartment and out of a separator housing through air outlet ports.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an air intake protection device which requires a minimal amount of time and effort to maintain. The debris collection chamber which may contain a substantial amount of particulate matter may be easily accessed, removed, cleaned and returned. The non-planar shaped air filter may also be easily accessed, removed, cleaned and returned to promote efficient and effective operation of the engine. This would require the use of no special tools or skills and could easily be accomplished in the field.
The above is only one example, and an air intake protection device in accordance with the present invention may have many varied uses, These and other objects of the invention, as well as the advantages thereof over the existing prior art forms, will become apparent from the following brief description of the attached drawings and are accomplished by means hereinafter described and claimed.
From the subsequent detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and subjoined claims, other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.